ISLAMABAD – Prominent NewsOne Television analyst Dr. Shahid Masood has discontinued his program and gone abroad disheartened the way he was treated – handcuffed, and jailed in an alleged corruption case.
Some reports say he had quit because of health reasons.
The Supreme Court granted him bail in late January for allegedly embezzling Rs38million during his tenure as the head of Pakistan Television.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested him on November 23, 2018, after the Islamabad High Court dismissed his pre-arrest bail.
It was not clear if he had any plans of returning to the television screen.
Shaheen Sehbai, a former group editor of The News, appreciated Masood's decision to quit. "…A Right decision at the Right time. TV is losing its luster, credibility fast bcoz of some compromised souls. Dr. SM was not one of them. Thanks. Social media will now rule," he tweeted.
Adeel Warraich, who spoke to Dr. Masood, confirmed in a YouTube video that the analyst was upset over his treatment in the PTV case and also unhappy that the police officers deputed with him during his time in jail were now facing inquiries.
They landed in trouble after video footage of Dr. Masood in handcuffs got viral on social media. It brought a bad name to the PTI government.
Warraich also quoted Dr. Masood as saying that Prime Minister Imran Khan had expressed his ignorance over what he had to go through.